ENTHUSIASTIC nature-lovers from across the Westcountry converged on Steart Marshes nature reserve on Sunday (June 4) for a Dragonfly Day which launched a ‘summer of saltmarsh’ organised by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT).

Designated by the British Dragonfly Society as a major ‘dragonfly hotspot’, Steart Marshes has been visited by 21 of the UK’s 30 species, many of which were in residence on Sunday as a major attraction of the event.

Species regularly seen on the marshes include the emperor, four-spotted chaser, migrant hawker, and common darter.

Visitors were also invited to try pond-dipping, willow weaving, bug hunting, and even writing a saltmarsh rap.

Other events included dragonfly talks and walks, with dragonfly expert Jon Van Gowler, dragonfly art and print-making, origami activities, and a pop-up café selling burgers from the Blue-Carbon Farming Company, whose cattle graze the reserve’s marshes.

WWT Steart Marshes engagement and learning manager Nicole Turnbull said: “Dragonflies are incredible creatures, spending years below the surface before emerging as wetland super-predators in the summer.

“Dragonfly day has launched the reserve’s ‘summer of saltmarsh’ which will run until September and celebrates and educates people about saltmarshes - a super-powered, yet underappreciated, coastal habitat that is home to a wide range of species and captures carbon up to 40 times faster than forests.”

Steart Marshes, the first of WWT’s working wetlands, provides flood defence for homes and businesses, protects farmland, and is a thriving home to hundreds of species.

The area became a wetland in 2014 when an old sea wall was demolished, allowing the tides to flood low-lying farmland.

A WWT spokesperson said: “Our wetland centres are full of life and rich with sights and sounds.

“We show visitors how they can play their part for wetlands and help to restore them, while highlighting how much wetlands can enrich our lives and our natural world.”